Because of Lian Shouxin’s status, and his desire to maintain face, no matter what he does, soone will always find fault, saying he is doing it wrong or not doing enough. But if it were Lady Zhou doing sothing more outrageous, no one would say a word.
The human heart is complicated; even Lian Manman can’t fully explain it, though she feels there are certainly thoughts of bullying the weak and fearing the strong at play.
When it cos to Woo Ergou and Woo Sangou, Lady Zhou, as a widow, could co out swinging a stick and beat the Woo Family Brothers, and no one would dare say anything.
Of course, such matters should only be handled by Lady Zhou.
There are taboos surrounding matters of mourning and celebration, the most taboo being things that are not smooth. The Woo Family Brothers dared to return and kneel after being dragged away, relying on the filial sons of the Lian Family to not act harshly against them.
Lian Manman didn’t plan to do anything to these two at this point, for the simple reason that it wasn’t worth it.
Wu Yuchang rose to go ask Lady Zhou in the Upper Room, while Lian Manman sent a steward out to talk to the Woo Family Brothers at the gate.
"... You two better stop crying now. If you truly have a conscience and sincerely want to repent, where have you been until now? Now, after our Great Grandfather is gone, you co knocking without really doing anything. Are you here to mourn or to infuriate him back to life?" The steward stopped the Woo Family Brothers from crying and loudly reprimanded them.
These words were half for the Woo Family Brothers and half for the onlookers.
"These two lowlifes are obviously trying to take advantage, showing up empty-handed, just kowtowing a couple of tis, looking for a free al." Soone within the crowd spoke loudly.
As soon as these words were spoken, laughter erupted from the group. Mourning ceremonies differ from celebratory events; in mourning, as long as you show up to help, you don’t need to pay respects or present gifts, and you can join the feast. One reason for this custom is mourning events emphasize gatherings; the more attendees, the better.
"If you want to go in and kowtow to our Great Grandfather, regardless of your intentions, we’ll assu you’re sincere. But, as for this matter, it’s not up to anyone else; our Lady has to agree. The steward has gone to ask our Lady, so wait and see. If our Lady believes your repentance and lets you in to kowtow, then you can go in. If our Lady doesn’t let you in, then don’t say anything and hurry back to where you ca from."
"You don’t need anyone to remind you of the disgraceful things you’ve done, right? Because of you two, Old Master fell ill several tis. Otherwise, he surely could have lived past a hundred. Now, Old Master is gone, but our family is busy. When we eventually find ti, we will deal with you properly. But right now, we can’t have you infuriate our Lady too, can we? If that happens, it’s not just your lives; your whole family can’t afford to pay for it."
The steward’s words were so fierce that the Woo Family Brothers were imdiately frightened into kneeling, and this ti, they dared not cry out loud, only shivering where they knelt.
"That’s the way to deal with it," Lian Manman said upon hearing from the servant Xiao Hetao about the situation with the Woo Family Brothers. "Otherwise, any stray cat or dog, playing clever tricks, would dare co to take advantage. How could we let that happen?"
By this ti, Wu Yuchang also returned from the Upper Room. Then, Lady Zhou’s loud voice ca from the Upper Room.
"Make those two bastards roll away at once, as far away as possible. With what face do they co here crying, like cats crying over mice? Just seeing them makes my heart race! If they ever co to my door again, break their legs with a stick!"
Lady Zhou’s voice was still full of energy. The passing of Old Master Lian hadn’t hindered Lady Zhou’s eating and drinking in the slightest; according to Lian Yeye, Lady Zhou ate two large bowls of rice at noon along with several dishes; she ate no less than a strong laborer.
"Did you hear that? Our Lady has spoken; hurry and leave, lest you find yourself unable to leave." The steward said to the Woo Family Brothers.
By this ti, the Woo Family Brothers had lost any chance of hope. Their plans upon coming here were long cast aside, and they timidly rose, stooped down low, avoiding the crowd, and sneaked off along the wall. In that manner, they looked like two live street rats.
"If they truly have a heart, they don’t need to co front and center like this; standing further back, honestly kowtowing a couple of tis and offering incense would suffice as expressing their sentints." Lady Li sighed quietly.
"If they sincerely repent, even without these gestures, it would be better than anything else." Lady Zhang added.
By evening, the kitchen prepared another banquet, and everyone ate. The old residence was lit up inside and out; nobody ca to mourn at night, but the filial sons needed to keep vigil before the spirit all night, and from ti to ti, they had to cry a bout.
"I’ll accompany my old brother for a while; you should rest if you need to." Zhang Qingshan said to Lady Li and the others, and he truly went to the spirit hall and sat talking in front of the departed spirit, as if chatting with Old Master Lian in life.
Shang Huaide saw this and also moved a stool over to sit beside Zhang Qingshan.
"I’ll accompany my brother-in-law too."
When an elder passes away, besides the filial sons keeping vigil before the spirit, it is also necessary to have two or three close friends, so loneliness doesn’t prevail. It becos a touching tale for others.
Zhang Qingshan stayed by Old Master Lian’s spirit until late at night, while the kitchen prepared a late-night banquet. Though fewer people ca at night, there were still eight or nine tables.
...
Requesting pink. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian) and vote with recomndation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian for reading.)
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